Life of a Fan-Fiction Writer

If you are a fan-fiction writer chances are you enjoy any kind of
medium. It could be television, video games, movies or even YouTube. You like
them so much that often, you are not satisfied with certain aspects of these
favorite things and therefore begin to create scenarios in your mind, and
eventually on paper, that answer questions or support a favorite topic on the
subject. These self-created stories can be love triangles between characters or
theories about what happens after the story ends. Fan-fiction can be both a fun
(and by extension), a hard way for young writers to express themselves or a way
for internet trolls to get a free lunch. Some of them can so detailed that they
mimic that of a novel or they can be short, small stories that capture a great
of emotion in just a few words. However, if you’re
one of the many people who have heard about fan-fiction and are just scared of
it, I’m here to tell you my experiences with
fan-fiction and even what it’s like for other’s who have taken on this form of a past time. So get comfortable and
join in The Life of Fan-Fiction writer.

What is Fan-Fiction?

What is fan-fiction? To the casual observer it seems like a fairly
obvious question, but often people get so lost in the definition they don’t actually write anything. Well, to clarify, I’m going to provide the various meanings of what fan-fiction is.
Fan-fiction is a medium in which people take a fan-dome they like and expand
upon on it or create a parallel universe to the canon. The mediums your
fan-fictions can be centered around can range from Super Smash Bros. to “Blank-Space” by Taylor Swift. Fan-fiction, by many people’s standards, is used to describe their creative thinking which is
meant to be shared with the general public. Fan-fiction is always changing and
over time has evolved into a respected genre by many people.

Why Do I Like Fan Fiction? – The
12 Year Old’s Point of View

I like Fan Fiction mostly for the fact that it gives me the chance to
take something I love and give it a deeper level of meaning. For example, I
really enjoyed a video called “Super Mario
Legacy” by Mason Gulliver. To put it simply, it
basically took some ideas from the movie “Super
Mario Brothers” and expanded upon it greatly. After that,
I gained inspiration to create my own characters and stories centered around
Super Mario Brothers. I like my stories so much that I enjoy sharing them with
my friends, my family and fan fiction websites. It helps me evolve my writing
style, and over time because of fan fiction, I discovered that instead of a
happy writer, that I am actually a dark and metaphorical writer. These types of
stories became my strength in writing and have even helped me improve my
non-fiction writing skills. Others around me enjoy reading what I write, and it
fuels me to write more. However, nothing comes without conflict. Sometimes,
because I write such dark fiction, people question why I write it but I enjoy
it, so I have stuck with it. So far, it’s
proving to be a very good choice!

What about Other Fan Fiction Writers?

I took the opportunity to interview “Brawlingwolf”, who is considered by many to be the Goddess of Nintendo Fan Fiction.
I asked her if she would tell me her thoughts on Fan-Fiction Writing an here is
what she had to say in our interview:

EB: What inspired you to write your fan-fictions?

Brawlingwolf: Originally, I saw it as a way into a world where I could
escape some of the issues with bullying and being somewhat of a social outcast
in middle school. When I started seriously writing them, it was a chance for me
to expand on the Kid
Icarus universe.

EB: Do you feel the quality of fan-fiction is improving?

Brawlingwolf: Mine personally? I think so. Overall? I can't say. I see
a few diamonds in the rough here and there, but mostly the stories I find don't
interest me or, honestly, outright repulse me. I have really high standards
when it comes to what I read in grammar, spelling, story, characterization, and
how well the original characters [if any] are crafted.

EB: What is the worst fan-fiction you've ever read?

Brawlingwolf: I won't name the story itself or the author out of
respect to a fellow writer, but there was a Kid Icarus-based story that dealt with
ignoring basic biology and the plot, from what little I did accidentally read,
made very little sense. I will grant that I've taken a path of making Pit (the
main protagonist of the games) a god, but I believe that's a path that has to
be done in a very specific way. Having the antagonist kill Palutena (Pit's
ruling goddess) then essentially "do it" with Pit and then tell him
he should become a god is nothing short of ridiculous.

EB: Did you expect your writing to be so popular?

Brawlingwolf: I did not, and I'm grateful for the positive feedback
and following I've gained. I find it funny that I've had more than one person
call me the "goddess of fanfiction."

EB: Have people ever made fun of you because of the fact that you
write fan-fiction?

Brawlingwolf: Surprisingly, no, but that might be because I tend to
not bring up the subject with people I don't know as well or people who aren't
fellow nerds and geeks like me.

EB: What tips do you have for beginners?

Brawlingwolf: Don't be afraid to tackle deeper ideas in a fanfiction.
Make sure to properly format your stories and make sure to spell-check.
Remember to do so manually as well as using a computer: the "Rouge Angles
of Satin" is technically spelled correctly, but not if you're trying to
say "The Rogue Angels of Satan." And finally, have fun with it!

EB: What's coming next?

Brawlingwolf: In the realm of fanfiction, I'll be working on the third
installment of the Across
the Bounds of Time series, a crossover of Kid Icarus and Fire
Emblem. Outside that, and more importantly, I'm continuing work on my
fantasy novel trilogy and another story focusing on the struggle with social
equality in the United States, especially for young adults.

What’s With All the Hate-Mail?

In modern day culture, you will find many memes that center around
fan-fiction being really bad. So the question remains, why does fan-fiction
sometimes have such a bad reputation? When I started out I didn’t know or care why fan-fiction was criticized. However from my
experience, in order to craft a good story you must know why others failed.
Sometimes you even have to give things a second chance. Anyone who has read The
Super Mario Movie Sequel Comic will understand what I’m talking about.

Common Terms in Fan Fiction - What Is Shipping and Trolling?

Shipping
-

If you have been reading fan fiction or know someone who writes it,
you may have heard the term “Shipping” and you may say, “Like a package?” No,
not so much. The term shipping refers to two fictional characters in a fan
fiction romance. Oftentimes, the romance is over-done and quite clichéd. In the fan fiction world, shipping can make or break a story. Some
stories, like Across the Bounds of Time, revolutionized quality
shipping. It made the primary couple very relatable and entertaining to read.
However if you’re (sometimes unfortunately) part of the
Mario fandom, stories like that are gems in a basket of rotten fruit. Often
they can even be inappropriate. Many adults and teens love these stories
because they are inappropriate and gross. However if given proper development,
any ship can become tolerable.

Trolling –

Trolls – most people think of ghouls on a bridge
right? (It’s even what I thought too.) However,
internet trolls are far worse. Trolls are readers that nit-pick and destroy
everything you’ve written just because they can. They enjoy
criticizing what everyone else seems to enjoy. However many times it’s hard to tell the difference between trolling and criticism. For the
older reader, I recommend a poem called Troll. You can find it on
YouTube and is definitely worth the watch. Trolls are annoying but as a writer
(novelist or fan-fiction prodigy), you have to build a thick skin. Writers
often get heavy complaints and as writers we have to learn to deal. So, ignore
the Trolls and focus on the positive feedback you get from the real fans.

Tips for Writing Fan-fiction

Many people online have mocked fan-fiction for the bad it is, so it’s hard to find decent advice. If you want a good video for the older
viewers, search Writing with Jane. The only reason I don’t say the little ones should see it is because she occasionally
curses. Otherwise fantastic video. However if you’re
banned from the internet, I have a few points of advice.

Firstly, it doesn’t matter what
people say. If you are a Super Mario Bros Movie fan, that’s
okay. If you like Five Nights at Freddy’s,
that’s okay. No matter what fandom you’re in there will always be someone who likes your work. Sometimes you
can even write stories that are better than the source material. They can stay
true to the lore but be better than it. So if people say you’re weird because you write this stuff, just ignore it.

Secondly, check your grammar. Any fan-fiction can imagine this scene.
It’s a Sunday afternoon and you’re reading fan-fiction. You see an engaging summary and a possibly
good concept. However when you go to read said fan-fiction, it has awful
grammar. You get disjointed and then move on to the next “ship-fic.” The bane of every fan-fiction’s existence is horrible grammar. This can ruin a story and fail what
could have been an instant classic. So in response to this, get a beta-reader.
Ask a friend or family grammar freak to edit your story. This instantly makes a
story easier to read and enjoy.

Finally, be original, be crazy. Many of the greatest fan-fictions were
departures from the norm. If you write original idea and just insert worlds and
characters from other people that could end up being the next-big hit in
fan-fiction. Clichés are a writer’s version of the plague, I recommend looking them up and then breaking
them in half. As for archetypes, I feel (as well many others) that no matter
how hard you try you can’t avoid them. In short, know your
strengths and be as creative as possible while still focusing on the roots of
your story.

To Sum Up

In
conclusion, you can love it or hate it, but fan-fiction is always going to be
there. However the important thing to remember is that if you enjoy
fan-fiction, continue to write it. I had
several original novel ideas based off fan-fictions and they ended up being
some of my favorites. At the end of the day, do what you love. It doesn’t matter if you think Super
Mario should be dueling his movie counter-part or if you
think Female Robin and Stahl is cute. As long as you stay original and stick
with what you love, fan-fiction is incredibly fun and satisfying.

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